Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Mariana Caplan, author of When the Student Is Ready: The Perils and Rewards of Choosing a Spiritual Teacher, lists the criteria for a prospective spiritual teacher and the criteria for a prospective spiritual student.

Rarely does a week of my life go by, without someone writing to me either looking for a spiritual teacher, confused about a spiritual teacher, or upset by a deep disillusionment by their spiritual teacher. The question of the spiritual teacher is a perennial question that in many ways is so less real and relevant among seekers as it was 500 years ago. The difference is that the stage is different. Unlike the great Buddhist hero Milarepa who transversed the Indo-Tibetan subcontinent by foot and then built nine houses before his teacher would begin to instruct him, we can simply click on google and within minutes have access to almost every prominent spiritual teacher there is, living or dead, and likely even some type of cyber-transmission. Read more

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Tantra teacher Lokita Carter answers a reader's questions about Tantric sex positions: "What are they? How are they different from the usual sex positions? Can you explain how to do some?"

Q: I keep hearing about tantric sex positions and how sensational they are. What are they? How are they different from the usual sex positions? Can you explain how to do some? (My partner and I are not limber enough to do those Kama Sutra pretzel-y ones.) John, Princeton, NJ

A: Dear John,
You don’t have to be a yogi in order to experience sensa­tional tantric sex! Any body posture that feels good and com­fortable to both of you and gets your sexual energy flowing is a tantric sex position. One of the ideas in tantric sex is “to stay re­laxed in high states of arousal”. How can you be relaxed when you are uncomfortable?

The Keys to Sensational Tantric Sex
Tantric sex is all about intention, attitude and being present. In Tantra, all techniques lead us to the point where our own personal spring merges with the ocean of great bliss, and where we relax into being rather than doing. At that point we become one with our partner, and the Divine Mystery, and there is true communion. Read more

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

If you resist meditation, you may be buying into one of four common myths about it, says Ronald Alexander.

The majority of my clients resist mindfulness meditation at first, although the time commitment is small and the payoff is enormous. One insisted that it wasn't necessary and that she didn't have enough time in her day to devote to a regular practice. Then she went through the loss of a parent, and had such trouble coping that she couldn't even drag herself out of bed. After missing work 10 days straight, she called me for my advice. I told her to mindfully meditate while in bed. Terrified and bewildered, my client did and, in a few days, found that she could face going to work again. After that, whenever she was in an overwhelming state of grief or so distracted that she couldn't focus, she would close her door, tell her assistant to hold all her calls and do a five minute meditation. Slowly, her grief lessened.

Typically, those who resist meditation are buying in to one of the following four common myths from my book, "Wise Mind, Open Mind" that create resistance to regular mindfulness meditation practice. Read more

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Good breathing can promote a better sex life. Sound outrageous? Too simple? The truth is it’s outrageously simple. Breath is the ultimate catalyst for sexual pleasure. It is the bridge between mind and body, and focusing on it can anchor us to the present. It unhooks us from all those thoughts cursing through our brains and connects us with our essential life energy (prana, chi, ki). Breath­ing creates receptivity in our body and an intimate connection with our partner. Are you breathing? Read more

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is a book that covers many aspects of life, beginning with a code of conduct and ending with the goal of yoga, a vision of one’s true Self. The Yoga Sutras is probably the most authoritative text on yoga. It defines yoga as a focusing of the attention to whatever object is being contemplated to the exclusion of all others. Yoga isn’t only about postures or meditation. It is a way of life. In this influential scripture, there are eight steps to enlightenment through yoga. These eight astanga or limbs of yoga are yamas, niyamas, asanas, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.

The yamas consist of lessons in moral and social conduct in our environment. It teaches us to restrain from lying, stealing, and greed. Non-violence and consideration toward all living things is the key. Communication with sensitivity towards others and moderation in all things we do is revered.

The niyama focuses on attitudes towards ourselves: compromising, cleanliness, serenity, devotion, and asceticism. One should study and give reverence to a higher intelligence. There is an acceptance of our limitations in relation to God. It is key to have removed the impurities from the mind and body.

In the asanas, one focuses on posture practice, positioning the body while incorporating the breath to achieve a greater awareness in the mind. One is alert and relaxed without tension, while observing the reactions of the body and breath to various postures. This minimizes the effect of the external influences on the body, such as diet and climate.

Pranayama is the restraint and control of the breath. Pranayama helps with concentration and energizing and balancing of the mind and body.

Pratyahara is the relaxation of the senses, where no distractions actually activate the mind.

Dharana, or concentration, is the ability to direct the mind toward a chosen object and focus in on it alone.

Dhyana, or meditation, is the ability to develop focused interactions with what we seek to understand.

Lastly, but most importantly, Samadhi is the ultimate state of self-realization, or union with the Source.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

For a fun and effective way to rekindle the passion and romance in your relationship, play the Tantra sex pleasure game, says Tantra teacher Crystal Dawn Morris.

At the beginning of a relationship sex is often spontaneous, intense and erotic. This phenomenon is called the 'Honeymoon phase.' It is when the 'New Relationship Energy' or NRE, makes everything exciting. Over time the NRE naturally fades, ro­mance dwindles, passion begins to wane and sex often becomes routine.

The Pleasure Game is a fun and effective way to rekindle the passion and romance in your relationship. Read more

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

I think about my charkas all of the time. They’re kind of ingrained in my mind. I have a relationship with my charkas. They inform me about how I’m doing, what I might want to shift about what I’m doing, how to perfect a certain posture or attitude, when to connect my heart with my powerful drive and more things like that. By using the understanding I have of my chakras in these ways I can promote my own better wellbeing.

One of the best ways I get in touch with my charkas is to sit and breathe from the base of my spine up to my crown, following my spine all the way up with my mind and breath. Read more